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The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and allegations of abuse

McDonalds and Tim Hortons employ over 9000 foreign workers. Their numbers are in par with the overall increase of foreign workers between 2006 to 2012. The number of approved foreign worker positions in accommodation and food services grew from 4,360 to 44,740.

Immigration Canada is once again being accused of failing to protect Canadian workers by allowing big fast food chains, such as McDonalds Canada to hire underpaid foreign workers in favour of Canadian workers. The new allegations also paint the grim reality of how the foreign worker program is also failing to uphold Canadian values and treat foreign workers at the same standard as Canadians.

In recent weeks, news of serious allegations of abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, centering McDonalds Canada have surfaced. This on the heels of a year where the program was given negative publicity after a number of news came out accusing the program of failing to measure up to the standards that former Immigration Minister and now Employment Minister, Jason Kenney and the Canadian Government have repeatedly said it wants to uphold. In April of 2013, there was a public outcry over Royal Bank of Canada replacing a small group of Canadian staff with temporary foreign workers. Ottawa in turn, announced several measures intended to close loopholes in the program. They included temporarily suspending the accelerated labour market opinion process, which allowed approved employers to bring in foreign workers faster, and removing an option that allowed employers to pay foreign workers up to 15 per cent less than the average comparable wage in the region.

The Government of Canada has decided in the midst of these latest allegations, to launch an extensive investigation in order to determine the facts and decide whether or not actual abuse of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program has been committed by the Restaurant Industry and its employer participants. The Labour Market Opinions in this area and industry have therefore been suspended, and employers in question have been given notice of the pending investigation into the abuse of the Labour Market Opinion process.

This decision has taken many by surprise, including businesses as they decried a lack of consultation and said the move would force some employers to close shop. There are also the thousands of foreign workers whose work permits are about to expire and they are not able to apply for an extension and may be forced to leave Canada. This latest spotlight on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program has also shed light to what many see as abuse of foreign workers who receive a lower average salary than a Canadian or a permanent resident.

“I knew a shoe was going to drop, but this was both shoes. This is a far bigger reaction than what I thought,” said Dan Kelly, head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

“In the minister’s province of Alberta many small businesses will teeter on [the brink of] survival based on this decision.”

Jason Kenney said his office will not process any new or pending labour market opinion applications in the food sector. The opinions are required before permission is granted to hire a temporary foreign worker. As well, any restaurant that has already obtained an LMO but hasn’t yet filled the position will be unable to do so.

“Abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program will not be tolerated,” Kenney said in the statement.

Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said he agreed the program needs review but that Kenney has overreacted. “There are a lot of small business people in British Columbia who are wondering what this means for them. It’s chaos. We would have really liked a heads up.”

Vancouver based Immigration Consultant and managing director of CICS Immigration Consulting Inc., Alex Khadempour, also agreed that a review of the program is needed. However, he believes a bigger issue needs to be looked at and talked about. “Do Canadians want to continue to go towards the direction where many foreign workers, especially in certain sectors, being treated as second class? Not only are we seeing a declining working environment, including lower pay, but we are also seeing the Canadian government closing the doors on them becoming permanent residents.” His comment refers to the recent changes in the Canadian Experience Class, a permanent residency program, where food service supervisors where removed from the program.

Which Canadian Employers are directly affected by the moratorium?

To be affected by the moratorium, employers must meet 2 criteria.

The employer MUST be:

Classified under North American Industry Classification System 722, defined as establishments primarily engaged in preparing meals, snacks and beverages, to customer order, for immediate consumption on and off the premises. This subsector does not include food service activities that occur within establishments such as hotels, civic and social associations, amusement and recreation parks, and theatres. However, leased food-service locations in facilities such as hotels, shopping malls, airports and department stores are included.

AND

Currently applying for LMOs for occupations related to specific National Occupational Classification codes(NOC 2006). List of NOC codes occupations affected by the moratorium in the Food Services Sector (NAIC 722):

6641 Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Occupations

0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers

6212 Food Service Supervisors

6453 Food and Beverage Servers

6611 Cashiers

6241 Chefs

6242 Cooks

6252 Bakers

0611 Sales, Marketing and Advertising Managers

0621 Retail Trade Managers

0632 Accommodation Service Managers

0651 Other Services Managers

6211 Retail Trade Supervisors

6213 Executive Housekeepers

6214 Dry Cleaning and Laundry Supervisors

6215 Cleaning Supervisors

6216 Other Service Supervisors

6221 Technical Sales Specialists – Wholesale Trade

6251 Butchers, Meat Cutters and Fishmongers – Retail and Wholesale

6411 Sales Representatives – Wholesale Trade (Non-Technical)

6421 Retail Salespersons and Sales Clerks

6451 Maîtres d’hôtel and Hosts/Hostesses

6452 Bartenders

6484 Other Personal Service Occupations

6622 Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers

6623 Other Elemental Sales Occupations

6651 Security Guards and Related Occupations

6661 Light Duty Cleaners

6662 Specialized Cleaners

6663 Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents

6681 Dry Cleaning and Laundry Occupations

6682 Ironing, Pressing and Finishing Occupations

6683 Other Elemental Service Occupations

Which Temporary Foreign Workers are affected by the moratorium?

Temporary foreign workers already in Canada who have a valid work permit issued under a Food Services Sector LMO may continue working as per their present work permit conditions.

Temporary foreign workers who have been approved for a work permit by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) but have not yet arrived in Canada will not be affected. They will remain eligible for a work permit at a port of entry, if they are otherwise admissible to Canada.

Foreign nationals who have not yet had a decision made on their work permit application will be affected. Foreign nationals who submitted their work permit application prior to the suspension will be notified that their work permit application is suspended until a final decision is made on the LMO.

Foreign nationals who apply directly at a port of entry, a visa post or inland office for a work permit after their LMO has been suspended cannot be issued a work permit based on that LMO.

What happens to a person who is currently in Canada and whose work permit from an affected occupational area is about to expire, and who was about to apply for an extension?

The LMO will have been suspended; therefore the processing of the work permit extension application will also be suspended until a final decision on the suspended LMO is made by ESDC.

When their original work permit expires, a person in this situation may have implied status if their work permit application was submitted prior to the expiry of their present work permit. This means that they will be able to remain in Canada and continue working for the same employer that appeared on their original work permit. People in this situation will continue to have implied status until a final decision is made on their work permit extension application.

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4 comments

Temporary Foreign Worker Program should be scarpped from top to bottom that includes food service industries and all other sectors. Stop abusing the program by bolstering vote bank by bringing in certain groups of people. Stop deceiving Canadians by changing the name of the program without eliminating it.

this is ridicolous,so look like Canadian dont need no one!!!i would like you ask at all my managers i had here in Vancouver (all Canadian manager) what they think about hiring Canadian!!!if you had your own businees you will never hire somone stay just few months in your store, just work a bit in the time they will find a new and better job??or they call sick every few weeks because they dont care about shitty job, and tell me who had to replace them when they call sick??ME!!!immigrant!!!and then tell me who is Canadian?who decide in wich year who come here was Canadian, because dosen’t exist Canadian, we are all immigrant, someone come early someone later, the only real Canadian are the Native , so what if they wouldnt like no one else, beside native!!!, it is they own land,who come after them, they was an immigrants all were european, asian or african. I’m Italian because Cristoforo Colombo discover America, i should to have an american passport??

I think the temporary foreign worker program have a good and bad sides. We should all admit. As canadian citizen in Canada, most of us don’t like to work “shitty jobs” or “low paying jobs”. I, myself, don’t want to work in restaurants because I can’t stand inside a big freezer or being yelled at by my restaurant employer. Some restaurant employers or restaurant managers doesn’t have the word “professionalism”. This is why most restaurants employers hire temporary foreign workers. On the negative side of the temporary foreign worker program, there’s so much temporary foreign workers who are applying for permanent residency especially under CEC (Canadian Experience). I think the government should remove “Canadian Experience” under this program when applying for permanent residency. I believe immigrating to Canada is not through Canadian Experience application especially those who are working in restaurants (no exceptions). Employers hire foreign workers
to help with the shortage of workers to help their businessess closure and for Canada’s economy but our government should stop/remove the CEC program because these foreign workers applying, applied or will be applying for permanent residency under the CEC program will leave their restaurant jobs once approved their application for permanent residency, well….. one of their intentions in working in restaurants is – their STEPPING STONE TO IMMIGRATE TO CANADA. They will change jobs so easy and restaurant employers will keep bringing new foreign workers to Canada.